Saddle Hill – Chapter 1

[By Johnie Jonker]

[Adapted version published in Leisure Wheels, March 2010]

Background

In 2006 I enquired as to the suitability of my 2001 Forester to be permitted on a 5-day Saddle Hill/Spencer Bay tour, departing from Luderitz. Don Nieuwoudt from West Coast 4×4 thought that this would be possible and subsequently put my name on his July school holiday tour list.

Not without reservations, though.  I was reliably informed that Don was heard saying: “Hierdie ou wil wragtag met sy Subaru deur die Namib!” (This guy seriously wants to do the Namib with his Subaru).

Other than varying routes, these kind of tours also come in a variety of themes, e.g. the manne tours (men’s tours), photographic expeditions, and then this one, which was more family orientated. Not that there was not opportunity for the “men to visit” or that there were not great images to be captured.  The daily routine was just quite laidback with latish starts after a good breakfast, so inevitably, no sunrise pictures.

Most importantly, the tour was fully catered. So other than clothing, sleeping bags, pillows, 25liters of water, snacks and drinks, required nothing else. Fuel was available at Saddle Hill at a R1 premium above ZAR prices, but as (South African!) fuel was 85c cheaper in Namibia than at home, this was a bargain. Therefore no jerry cans were required, being very good news for us owners of small SUVs, as together with the 25liter of water, where to put it?

Journey

Other than a completely destroyed tyre – a spare which had to be couriered overnight from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop – we had a pretty uneventful trip from Pretoria, overnighting at Upington (Die Eiland) and two nights at Ais-Ais.

From there we travelled via Aus.

We visited the tame horses of the Namib – it felt as if I had not moved off, a very inquisitive horse would have put his head through the car window, just to say hi. Then through those kamikaze birds en route to Luderitz. What on earth were they?

Not so lucky was one unfortunate expeditioner who had lost reverse gear on his vehicle en route from PE to Luderitz. He was however duly introduced to a local resident with a suitable vehicle, culminating in a private rental agreement which enabled Gerhard and Nicky to accompany the rest of us on the tour. The stricken vehicle was left in the care of the Obelix Village owner until our return.

Having arrived a day early to experience the sights of Luderitz and Kollmanskop – and we were blessed with an exceptional spell of good weather, with the bay calm as a dam – we had the opportunity to see the rest of the group file in towards evening of the next day.

This was, to say the least, somewhat intimidating, as with the vehicles filling up the Obelix Village Guest House yard, the Forester soon disappeared amongst them. This is an emotion to be expected, as you are so clearly the odd one out, or “what is wrong with the picture”. Perhaps not a bad thing, as when on edge, you tend to try harder.

The tour departed from said guest house, which provided excellent accommodation and dinner the night before – the latter being included in the tour package. The convoy being 15 vehicles large – in hindsight too large; should be no more than ten – took a while to mobilize following Don’s final briefing, as some late starters had to first go into town for last minute shopping the Monday morning, having to wait for the shops to open.

Departing eastwards towards Aus past Kollmanskop, the tar road is left after 35km, heading NE on a gravel road, amongst others used by the Namibian Water Board for pipe/pump maintenance.

At the point where this secondary road was left for the tracks and sand, the convoy waited for the mall stragglers, whiling the time away by deflating tyres to 1 bar.

So, how did it go?

From here, as a precaution, the Forester was placed second in the convoy behind the lead vehicle – a Landcruiser bakkie – in order to not have too deep tracks for the car with clearly the lowest ground clearance in the group.

The regular mispronounciation of Saboera instead of Subaru, was laid to rest with the car being nicknamed Platbekpadda (Flat Mouthed Frog? – sorry, idiomatically this translation simply does not work! – PGJ).

The Forester was advertised – and measured up after purchase – to have 190mm of clearance throughout. Modifying the central exhaust attachment bracket, an additional 10mm of clearance was gained. By further installing spacers front and rear, the ground clearance was increased to 210mm minimum. Prior to departure, the tyres were deflated to 0.8bar and a 15mm loss measured. It was still uncertain whether this would be sufficient, but at least now the limitation was known.

As everyone was issued with a radio, a light-hearted banter was maintained along the route, with each being addressed by a nickname – yours truly being Platbekpadda. Don ever so often issued warnings regarding the klein jakkalsies (small jackals)– sandy ridges crossing the route which, due to the almost directly overhead position of the sun casting no shadow, only became visible once you were virtually on top of them. This tended to re-arrange the luggage somewhat if caught unawares.

Frequent stops were made, as on the first day the goal was only to reach Saddle Hill, covering around 170km, more than 2/3 of it sand. Initially the dune highways running in a NNW direction are followed, but as the route approaches the coast, some dunes need crossing. These tend to be steeper downhill in the direction of travel, i.e. slip faces towards the coastline, easily negotiated with tyre pressures at 1 bar. On the return journey tyre pressures had to be 0.8 bar in order to float on top.

An exceptionally good rain season had preceded the trip, and in the road/sand transitional mountain area, the terrain was covered by a green tinge.

Driving the smallest car there, on a number of pit stop occasions other tour members were caught with incredulous (which later turned into admiration) looks on their faces when …

Saddle Hill – Chapter 2

[By Johnie Jonker]

[Adapted version published in Leisure Wheels, March 2010]

Saddle Hill

Saddle Hill was used as base, with daily excursions departing from there, returning at around sunset. The idea was to do either the outward or return journey at low-tide, speeding up progress nicely, one way or another, at the same time being a great experience, sandwiched between the sea and dunes.

Accommodation was basic, with the quick getting dormitories with 4 beds (and mattresses), and the slow, dormitories without doors and window panes, but with a number of bow tents equipped with beds, pitched inside – weatherproof enough, just lacking in audio privacy.

There were plans to improve/develop the accommodation, but due to the Namibian government at the time granting tourist concessions (to Namibian citizens) only on a year-by-year basis, the risk was high that the operator could lose his investment should he not be granted the concession again the following year. As soon as a multi-year concession of say 10 years could be secured, these plans would come into fruition. I am not aware whether at this stage this may well already be the case.

Being very close to the sea, the borehole provides very bracken water for washing purposes, which,  if you’re early, is hot. But better to keep your mouth closed in the shower and brush your teeth with that bottled water you brought along.

The food was phenomenal. Festus and his son turned out cuisine beyond expectation, night after night. Especially memorable was the morning we collected shellfish from the rocks, resulting in a formidable seafood stew. Thanks, Festus!

Sightseeing

In terms of things to see, there are of course the regulation/as per brochure stops and photo opportunities – the Bushman’s Candle, the rusted Jeep engine with the fan still tinking away in the wind, shipwrecks, the seal colony, deserted mining facilities, rusted equipment, Mercury Island, spectacular viewpoints, unusual geographical features and some sand.

There are however many other non-advertised sightings or discoveries which appeal to each one in a unique way – perhaps not grabbing the attention of the next person – making the experience memorable and special.

Often these smaller, non-landscape things, were the most fascinating. E.g. the flora, some mistakable for a yellow version of a Lavender Bush or a “mushroom” growing between the vehicle tracks, or water eroded indentations in rocks, or the silhouette of a rusted coco-pan resembling an antelope.

Early morning fog is a problem at times in terms of visibility, and on one occasion we had to turn back from our destination prior to reaching it, as the promised feature would not have been visible. Fortunately the tour program was flexible, with events being swopped out, adapting to the weather. In the end we did get to see the initial fog-veiled feature.

Then there are the gullibility checks. Like the directions to the petrified seal site, having everyone chasing up a steep dune on foot, with the tour leader nonchalantly staying in his vehicle. But even with no seals, you are rewarded with a view which you otherwise would have missed.

Likewise the endemic jackal, which has adapted itself to running along the dunes. The legs on one side are shorter than those on the other, so that it can remain level as it runs along the dune slopes. The drawback is, that to get back home, it has to run all the way round the other side of the dune, as it would fall over if it ran with the short legs downhill. We were constantly on the look-out, but unfortunately missed this little creature completely. Perhaps next time.

Sand Driving

Opportunities abound to determine your car/own abilities/risk profile and develop your driving skill, although the difficult parts are always optional.

One of these skills is how to drive along the camber at the foot of a dune. You are instructed to keep your speed up, with the steering wheel turned slightly upslope. Generally this means a speed of around 50 – 80km/h, depending on the gradient of the slope and density of the sand. Should you relax your vigilance and let the speed drop off to below this level, you will promptly be bumped out of the track, and no matter how much more steering input is applied, will keep on heading down the dune. It is uncanny.

As soon as you get the speed up again, it is easy to move upslope and rejoin the “railway line”. This is contrary to one’s natural reaction of first wanting to align the car with more or less the intended direction of travel before heading off. In this case, head off in any direction – guaranteed, it will soon be downhill – get the speed up and as steering control is regained, return to the track.

This happened to the Forester, after slowing down too much for a largish cross-ridge. Once back on track and watching in the rear view mirror what the vehicle behind was doing, showed that as it slowed down for the same obstacle, history repeated itself, and it also was forced onto the same detour. At least the tracks were now already laid down.

Some of the advice given in terms of dune driving will require interpretation in order to validate it for softroader application. For instance: Maintain momentum up the slope, but tap off before cresting to avoid flying through the air and possibly roll the car. This advice is given by the driver of an unstoppable 2.5 ton plus vehicle, with a large footprint and a ground clearance > 250mm.

Your little SUV, with its belly frequently playing touch with the sand and weighing a ton less – therefore with considerable drag and only 60% the momentum (remember, M = mv) – will get hung up on the dune crest if you follow that advice too closely. After getting stuck once, you’ll realize that more power than was originally understood has to be maintained for longer; else a rearward recovery will follow. This was also one of the two occasions the Forester had to be recovered throughout the duration of the tour.

JJJ…

Saddle Hill – Chapter 3

[By Johnie Jonker]

[Adapted version published in Leisure Wheels, March 2010]

More Softroader

Rather than ground clearance, a bigger problem turned out to be front overhang and the resultant approach angle, which in the case of pre MY08 Foresters, is poor. As you attack a steepish dune, the bumper scoops up sand and deposits it onto the windscreen. Other than water, it does not run off easily, and using wipers would only scratch the glass. Your vision is often blinded to the extent that the only way out is to stop, wait for the sand to drain away, reverse down, and try again, this time with a more diagonal approach so you don’t hit the dune, but rather glance up it. For this reason a decent bash plate is required, i.e. structural, and not just bling.

What also sometimes helped was to go further back in the convoy, so that the front runners could blunten the approach to the dune somewhat. This did however have mixed results at times, as the sand was by then churned so loose, that traction was poor – bear in mind, no traction control, no LSD/diff-lock, only a front/rear viscous coupling on the Forester. So a purely mechanical drive-train.

Also important is the height the driver side window is wound up to. As the steering wheel is swung from side-to-side in order to gain traction up the slopes – and this was often necessary – the sand is spun through the open window, having you spitting every so often. Not nice.

In terms of the quasi-low-range of the car (1.41 ratio), this was useful to pull away over the sand ridge formed in front of the wheels when stopping, but without it, simply reversing along your own tracks and then moving forward over the hump would have been as easy. Where the low-range did help, was up the dunes.

On some of the optional steep dunes, you arrive at the foot of the dune at 80km/h in 3^rd gear, changing down 3/4 of the way up. Due to a sticky second gear, sometimes refusing to go in, the results were more predictable (guaranteed, actually) to select low-range, rather than second gear at this point. This gives a slightly lower ratio than second gear (not on post 2002 Foresters, though – 1.2 reduction only) and did the trick every time. Of course this is only possible if your SUV/softroader has synchromesh low-range selection. Very few – if any – of the other pucker 4x4s in the group could do this. But then, maybe their 2^nd gear wasn’t sticky.

Approaching the dunes at speed can be quite daunting, especially since you see mostly sky until the dune flattens out at the top. Spare a thought for your co-driver, who like yourself, is faced with the same uncertainty, but unlike yourself, is not in control of the car, and does not have a steering wheel to hang on to. The next best thing is then to put your hands on the dashboard with your head underneath it. Do not feel insulted when she considers your driving skills (what driving skills?!!) insufficient and rides shotgun with Ramon in UB40, the replenishment Landcruiser pickup that at times lead the convoy. This may not necessarily help though, as after one particularly vigorous waxing up a dune, Don enquired over the radio how my wife was holding up, with Ramon replying: ”She’s busy checking the fuses”.

This behaviour was not uncommon in the group, as after the 2^nd day, quite a few companions had forsaken their drivers and remained in the camp, spending the day reading in the lovely winter sun.

Not my wife though. Here’s what she has to say:”My advice as a passenger to this awe inspiring place is NEVER stay at the base and read a book. Push your boundaries and go along. The scenery, the vastness, the sky and sea are magnificent. Nobody or any photo can describe it to you”.

What was to Rosemary more scary and dangerous was the “strafdoppe” (penalty shooters). Not the concept or vileness of the super hot chilli-spiced 3-tot mix this consisted of, but its timing. This was awarded after dinner to anyone who did poorly, anyone who performed flawlessly and everyone in between. By this time of day, being a group of mostly strangers who got along very well from the word go, extensive visiting had taken place by way of socializing during sundowners and dinner. This extra drink or more, although voluntary, was therefore enough to sometimes upset the balance. So you needed to pace yourself.

From peer pressure to tyre pressure: Prior reading and watching off-road technique videos had fearfully convinced me that the tyres were going to come off the rim, especially when deflated to 0.6 bar, which was necessary once to get up a particularly stubborn (optional) dune. In retrospect, I suspect this is a remnant from the days when 4x4s had a combination of small (15”) rims and high profile (80) bakkie tyres. On most recent softroaders the profile is 65 or less (70 on this Forester), allowing much less flex of the sidewall, better retaining the bead seal on the rim. As long as you didn’t drive like a hooligan, popping doughnuts, you were fine. This mishap did not happen to anyone this time round, but if the worst should happen, the tour leader will at any rate have the equipment to get you going again – possibly playing with fire in the process. It goes without saying that you need a full size spare wheel, as a space saver is completely unsuitable.

In terms of tools to take, a tire repair kit would be useful. I did not, so was dependent on a fellow tourist – thanks, Manie – to repair my puncture. Predicting which other spares would be required, would at best be a hit and miss affair, so ignore it and rather think on your feet when stricken.

If your softroader is still intact by the penultimate afternoon, do NOT join the “really difficult dunes” group, rather take the “softy” beach option.

Pretty semi-precious pebbles are being continually replenished by the sea, Agate being especially bountiful. And of course the sea itself is always beautiful. Not swimmable …

Saddle Hill – Chapter 4

[By Johnie Jonker] 

[Adapted version published in Leisure Wheels, March 2010]

But hang on ….

Before rushing off and booking a place on the next desert tour for your softroader – Don was of the opinion that had it not been for the good rain season prior to the tour – and I do not know how good or how long prior – the Forester would not have been as successful, due to the otherwise more powdery texture of the sand. 

Being a novice, I cannot tell to what extent this may vary. What was observed was that at no point the sand appeared wet/damp, and on many dune slip faces the sand “roared”, which I understood to mean a very dry aerated composition. How about an expert explanation, anyone? 

Summary

In conclusion, the qualities a softroader should therefore have to be able to negotiate this terrain – intensively experienced over 5 days – in order of importance: 

Ground clearance: In this case 195mm after tyre deflation to 0.8 bar was sufficient.

Structural bash plate that can bounce you off the sand and be used as a sled.

Short front overhang, rear not as important. The sand is soft, so an extended towbar will just make a dent in it and not slow you down.

Full-size spare wheel, tyre repair kit and a compressor.

Calibrated tyre gauge. After 3 unsuccessful attempts by one of the – up to that point – very capable drivers to get up a dune, all gathered round to try and puzzle out why this was the case. It was discovered that although his gauge indicated a tyre pressure of 0.8bar, another showed the tyres were still pumped to 1.1bar. Deflation solved the problem. It remains a mystery how he managed to get as far as he did. Possibly because it was a Land Rover?

Good power to mass ratio. No judgement can be made whether petrol or diesel is better in the case of a softroader – as all the other vehicles were either 4×4 bakkies or hardened SUVs – but the 80kW TD double-cabs probably got stuck most often. In the case of the Forester (92kW, <1500kg), petrol worked well due to the ability to get the revs up and thus save on gear changes. Three of the other vehicles – both petrol and diesel – did not have the acceleration to get up one dune from a narrow stretch of beach, having to take the easy way back along it.

Be familiar with your vehicle. Some very capable 4x4s failed to clear obstacles on the first attempt due to the driver not knowing how to – or that he should – lock the centre differential, or whether he should be in low-range or not. Also know where the engine power band is and at what point down changes should be made to keep it there.

Off-road training course. No, not really, unless it was in a similar real-life environment. Training courses at facilities like Gerotek is of little use as the only sand training done there is through a 100m tunnel of level Kalahari sand, teaching stopping/starting. The flow of the dune technique – approach, enter, maintain momentum, down-change, swing steering wheel, tap off, crest and maintain drive to the wheels on the slip face – cannot be instructed there.

What is useful though, is to learn what inclines your car can handle and at what speed they have to be entered in which gear. The Forester was one of the few cars in the Gerotek training group which attempted and managed the 70% incline at the facility. 

Low range – not at all.

Subsequently learnt (expensively) from a softroader with traction control – ESP and HDC OFF. The ESP ON/OFF option is generally standard on most SUVs, but the HDC only on a select few. To have the brakes kicking in every time you just touch the pedal on a slip face, and then maintaining that speed until you accelerate again, makes for a jerky ABS-induced creaking/groaning push/pull driving experience, devoid of any flow.

Also subsequently learned from the same digital softroader above, on this terrain a supple suspension is advantageous in terms of passenger longevity. Not too soft, as this will bounce through as you get to the foot of the dune – hence the bash plate – though still preferable to a performance/handling suspension setup, as it will be difficult to maintain your speed with the continuous pummelling caused by a stiff suspension.

Pack lightly. Once at the camp, the car will be emptied of luggage and only contain the occupants and daily refreshments for the remainder of the trip. But you have to get in and out through the dunes with the car fully loaded. Once again, the Forester is the only softroader I know of which maintains its ride height at the rear due to the self-levelling suspension – and it works!. So ensure that you pack/distribute the luggage evenly to limit the amount of rear end sag and the resultant loss in ground clearance.

Finally

Even though this tour was a first-time sand driving experience for most drivers, having to initially be instructed the techniques thereof, all could apply them successfully towards the end. 

However, where some had to learn it by rote and then react mechanically to subsequent inputs, others were more attuned to their vehicles, having a feel for what was returned by way of acceleration, vibration, attitude, noise, steering feedback, etc and adapting to this. Here’s to hoping you are one of the latter. 

Thanks, Don! 

Team Subaru…. as they were then

JJJ…

Slaat hom, pappa, slaat hom!

[Deur PG Jonker]

Dit was een van daai rowwe dae tuis gewees.  Dus stuur Marga vir my, Anita (9 jaar oud) en Chris-Jan (2 jaar oud) af na die biblioteek toe.  Sy’t gemeen dis beter vir haar geestestoestand dat ons liewer die biblioteek moet gaan ontwrig.  Die biblioteek is reeds toe. Miskien maar goed so, nou word ons darem nog toegelaat daar – dinge mag anders verloop het as die bib nog oop was daardie dag. 

Op die grasperk voor Durbanville se biblioteek is ‘n lekker speelparkie.  Dis laterig die middag, so daar is niemand anders nie. Ons het die speelparkie vir onsself.  Anita spring dadelik op een van daai naarmaak-wiele wat jy aan vasklou en dan in die rondte laat draai.  Dis ‘n groot wiel met ‘n dubbele rand om lekker aan vas te hou. Anita sit bo-op die wiel.  Ek word getaak om die wiel se energiebron te wees.  Chris-Jan kyk toe. “Willie opklimmie”, sê hy.

Hoe lekkerder die wiel draai hoe nader staan Chris-Jan. Hy begin ‘n ernstig belangstelling ontwikkel tsv sy aanvanklike “willie opklimmie”.  Dit word toe later “wil opklim”.  Ek stop die wiel en sit hom op die wiel. Ek monteer hom nou mooi wydsbeen oor die dubbele rand en sit sy hande mooi op die pype om aan vas te hou. Die wiel is so ‘n meter bo die grond, so ek gaan maar stadig dat hy nie afval nie.

Soos Chris-Jan nou die ding agterkom geniet hy dit al meer. Hy leun in die draai in kompleet soos mens op ‘n motorfiets sou maak.  Hoe vinniger dit gaan hoe meer geniet hy dit. So nou gaan ons so ‘n klein bietjie vinnigder. Ek hou hom mooi dop dat dinge darem nie te rof raak nie. Tot dit nou eintlik heel lekker vinnig gaan.

Nou ja, dit moes seker een of ander tyd gebeur.  Middelpuntvlietende krag bereik toe mettertyd die deurbreekpunt waar ‘n twee-jaaroud se handjies nie meer daarteen kan stry nie, en woeps! dop Chris-Jan af van die wiel af.  Hy tref die grond dat hy hik.

Die feit dat hy nie baie seer gekry het nie doen geen afbreuk aan sy entoesiasme om te skree daaroor nie.  Dit vat ‘n tydjie om die ergste sand weer uit al die holtes uit te kry so tussen die spoeg en snikke deur.  Mettertyd raak die snikke bietjie stiller.  Dit beteken egter nie dat sy vlak van ontevredenheid enigsins verander het nie.

Nadat hy mooi tot verhaal kom toe draai hy om na die wiel toe, wys dit aan my uit en sê:  “Slaat hom, pappa, slaat hom!”

Toe slaat ek hom maar.  Ek meen nou die wiel, nie vir Chris-Jan nie.

PGJ…

Leisure Wheel

[By PG Jonker]

It was one of those hectic days at home.  To restore a measure of calm at home I got sent off to the library with Anita, 9 years old, and Chris-Jan, 2 years old.  My wife reckoned it would be a lot better for her sanity if we rather go and disrupt the library than our home.  Not that she had any gripe with the library though.  Unlike the occasion when the chaps at the Home Affairs ticked her off slightly.  So when we then all had to attend to the Home Affairs office all at the same time she gave permission (no, rather instructed) the kids to have a good time and to run around as much as they want.  They duly complied.  But I digress.

The library is closed.  Some improvisation is required, thus.  Fortunately there is a nice lawn in front of the library with a play park.  Deserted, so we have it all for ourselves.  Anita aims straight for the big horizontal wheel.  One of those instruments designed to make you nauseous by just looking at it.

I am the energy source, tasked to make the thing go around.  Chris-Jan is very suspicious, and resists all forms of enticement to make him join the fun.  “Don’ wanna get up,” sayeth Chris-Jan.

It takes a while to overcome some stubborn inertia, but in due time I have the wheel spinning rather nicely, with Anita relaxing on board.  As things progress Chris-Jan starts to develop some interest in the action.  At first limited to watching intently, but later inching nearer. 

Eventually “Don’ wanna get up” becomes “Wanna get up.”    

OK, first things need to come back to a standstill.  I mount Chris-Jan spread-legged across the double bar of the wheel.  He now sits on the outer edge of this wheel, facing the direction in which he will be moving. 

Obviously we need to tone down a bit on the speed now.  The wheel is about a meter above the ground, which is rather high for a two-year old.  I can now also relax, as the pace is now a lot more leisurely than before.  Anita simply has to make do with the more sedate pace. 

Chris-Jan gets the hang of things rather quickly.  His little hands have the bars in a tight grip.  As speed increases slightly he leans into the turn like on a motorbike.  A real pro, ek sê. 

With Chris-Jan getting the hang of things I start to increase the speed slightly.  Soon he enjoys it even more than his older sister.  As his balance seems very well, and he is holding tightly on, I increase the speed.  And the faster it goes, the more Chris-Jan enjoys it.  Well, eventually everyone is enjoying this leisure wheel.  

OK, it was probably bound to happen some or other time.  As the centrifugal force increased, eventually it reached the point where it overcame the hold of two-year old hands, and woeps! off the wheel Chris-Jan goes.  He hits the ground with a rather hefty force.

An immediate and loud protest follows.  If it was not for the fact that also his mouth was full of sand the volume of the protest would have been exponentially higher.  It takes me a while to get the sand out of most of the orifices, between the tears and the saliva.  Fortunately no injuries.  The sobs eventually become quiet.  Not that this is any indication of an improved mood on his side.

Eventually Chris-Jan is sufficiently composed to turn his wrath on the object of his discontent, which is obviously the wheel, not me.  So he turns to the wheel, points it out to me and instruct me:  “Hit him, daddy, hit him.”

So I hit him.  The wheel now, I mean. 

PGJ…

A Whale of a time

A Tale of a Whale

[Do not try this at home]

Today I’m proud to say that I know Ralph Mothes.  I had many a memorable sailing outing on Matthys Lourens’ yacht, Mafuta, with Ralph also joining the crowd.  I’m  glad also to note that I do not have to use the word “know” in the past tense, as Ralph is still around.

It’s not any man that can boast an encounter with a whale and live to tell the tale.

On Sunday, July 18^thRalph and Paloma Werner were on an outing with Ralph’s yacht Intrepid in Table Bay harbour.    Intrepid is a 10m yacht with a steel hull that Ralph uses, apart from sailing it for his own pleasure,  for training at Cape Town Sailing Academy.

Apparently Ralph spotted the whale from a distance away where a motor boat was circling the whale.  The whale then made it into Intrepid’s direction, breaching once.  Intrepid was in its way, but could not move due to lack of wind and the fact that it’s engine was not running.

The whale disappeared under the water, and then breached again right in front of Intrepid.  A picture had been taken, apparently by a gentleman from Botswana who is reportedly only known as James, and who was on another boat at that time (obviously).  This picture is causing a bit of a debate in the media on its authenticity or not.

The whale landed on the deck (actually on the roof), dismantling the mast and causing some R150000 worth in damages.  [Contact Ralph if you have a spare mast]. 

Ralph reckons that they would have gone down if this was a glass fibre boat.  A whale of a tale, huh?   But now I wonder:   can you imagine the story the whale had to tell when he got home?

PGJ

For more detail, see the links below. 

http://www.dieburger.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Walvis-spring-op-seiljag-in-Tafelbaai-20100719

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20100720120322301C168813…

Let op jou K’s en L’s

(soos in:  “Mind your P’s and Q’s”)

[Deur Johnie Jonker]

Ek was op skool al baie geinteresseerd  in elektronika en het allerhande stroombaantjies  gebou.  By geleentheid het ek tant Johanna Spamer se stoof ook reggemaak.  Ek dink dit is met dié dat oom Koos Spamer my toe genoeg vertrou om my te vra om die ligte skakelaars in sy vleiswerk kamer te herbedraad. Daar was net een skakelaar wat 4 plekke se ligte tegelykertyd aanskakel, en dis mos nou darem ‘n vermorsing as jy net wil sien wat in die garage aangaan en die hoeder- en varkhokke se ligte kom ook aan.

Amper iets soos die prentjie hier onder.

Ek is natuurlik heel geneë om die takie aan te pak, siende dat my sakgeld ook sodoende aangevul kon word.  Met behulp van my pa kry ons een van  die ou tipe gietyster stroombreker kaste met die porseleinsekerings in die hande, en oom Koos koop die 4 skakelaars wat benodig word. Die ligskakelaars is van die swart ronde bakeliet tipe wat jy op die oppervlak  vasskroef.  Die stroombreker  is egter nogal iets spesiaal.  Deesdae sien jy dit net in museums of in toekoms-flieks wat in verlate kragstasies geskiet word en waar die held dan die krag aanskakel met so ‘n oordrewe KLANGGG! eggo as hy die hefboom opdruk;  ‘n aksie  wat dan sommer ook die kas sluit. Nifty ontwerp vir daardie tyd.

Elke middag na skool is ek daar.  Ek  boor gate en skroef goed vas en bedraad na hartelus.  Ná so twee weke is die projek voltooi, maar natuurlik is die werk nooit klaar voordat die papierwerk nie voltooi is nie.  Vir die wat nie weet nie, of al vergeet het,  voor jy Brother etiket-drukkers gekry, het  jy mos die  DYMO gekry wat fisies die letters van agter af deur ‘n dikkerige plastiekfilm met ‘n gom onderkant gedruk het.  Sodoende “rek” die materiaal dan, wat die plastiek wit verkleur. Dus kon jy enige kleur agtergrond kry, maar die letters was altyd wit.  Dan plak jy nou jou etiket vas waar jy hom wil hê.  Die toestel het soos ‘n Scalectrix handgreep gelyk, met ‘n skyf wat jy roteer tot die regte letter in ‘n venstertjie verskyn.  Dan druk jy die sneller, en daar sit die letter in die plastiek gevorm.

Ek was nogal trots op my bedrewenheid en spoed met die DYMO.  So maak ek die etikette om elke lig se funksie aan te dui.  Soos in:   “Agterplaas”, “Garage”, “Rookkamer” en “Hoenderhok”.

Nadat my pa, wat ‘n elektriese ingenieur is, die installasie kom inspekteer en veilig verklaar het,  roep ek vir oom Koos om te kom kyk hoe als werk.  

Oom Koos doen nou eers navraag oor die koste.    Nou ja, ek sukkel vandag nog steeds om ‘n prys te maak vir mense wat ek ken, maar ek maak my prys op R2.  Dit het eintlik heel skaflik vergelyk met my 50c/per maand sakgeld van destyds – onthou nou, hierdie was laaaank terug gewees.   Nee, reken oom Koos,  dis darem te min, en gee my R5.  Ek voel natuurlik so in my skik soos een wat die boerpot gewen het.

Nou inspekteer en toets oom Koos die installasie.  Hy stuur sy seuns Kobie en Willie uit om te rapporteer of die regte skakelaar wel die regte lig aanskakel.  Alles werk 100%.  Die hoenderhok se skakelaar is laaste aan die beurt.  Hier aarsel oom Koos.  Hy druk met sy vinger op die etiket.  Nee, hier is nie so ‘n plek op sy werf nie, reken hy met ‘n ondeunde glimlag.

“Hoe bedoel oom dan nou?”  Ek is vinnig daar om te sien wat die fout is.  Ek sien wat die fout is.  Dis nogals bietjie van ‘n verleentheid – veral in die lig gesien van die feit dat my pa se bynaam boonop “Priester” was.  Ek bied aan om gou die foutjie reg te maak, maar Oom Koos reken hy hou eintlik van die etikettering soos dit is;  dit moet net so bly. 

Jare na oom Koos se dood het Willie verdere verbouings aan die buitegeboue gedoen.  Toe eers is my installasie vervang, met die een etiket wat toe nog steeds lees: HoenderHOL.

JJJ…

Trails and Softroaders

[By Johnie Jonker]

[Adapted version published in Leisure Wheels, June 2010]

A while back, a trail I wanted to do – advertised as Grade 1-2 in Drive Out magazine – was indicated as Grade 2 – 4 on the brochure. This was a substantial difficulty “upgrade”, as the latter requires low-range. Whether this was done intentionally or not, the end result remained the same: Softroaders were excluded.

As extensions of their personalities, softroader owners could be divided into two categories:

Owner 1: Wants to take his car places and show it to crowds, where

Owner 2: Wants his car to take him from crowds and show him places,

the latter group being in the minority, in part (largely?) due to insufficient sharing of experience.

In a thread titled “Where did your Softi take you” under the Softroader section of the 4x4community.co.za forum, a reader comments on pictures of a Forester on the Witsand dunes: “Never knew the Forester was capable of that”.

Regardless of whether it was a Forester – it could be any other softroader for that matter – this presents the core of the problem. Not the fact that the reader did not know a specific vehicle’s capabilities, but rather, if he – a softroader enthusiast – did not know this, how many trail owners would?

To change this outcome is up to the softroader community itself, i.e. for those with the higher risk profiles to experience (sometimes the $hard$ way) their specific vehicles’ capabilities, then SHARING this on a public forum.

Most vehicle brands have their own forum where owners talk LR, Toyota, Pajero, etc. But as the active softroader community is very small, we can ill afford exclusive (selfish?) loyalty to own-brand forums, only preaching to the converted. You may have a particularly capable softroader/modification and could be sharing valuable information, useful to the newbie and the fed-up owner of a poor one alike.

Armchair polemics between proponents of the “low-range or not” brigades are mostly speculative and of no use, as it invariably ends up with both camps suggesting that the other “should know their place”. It is doubtful whether more than a handful of these “expressionists” have in actual fact driven both types of vehicle in applicable terrain.

Therefore, to the more adventurous softroader that actually takes his vehicle off the beaten track, I appeal – report back. Everyone in this group should consider himself a member of the “Patron Saints of Softroaders” collective, in the spirit of “Been there, done that, here’s the rub”.

Did you go during the wet or dry season? What was good/bad? If bad, try to suggest a solution, i.e. it may not be necessary to change softroaders to improve matters – just a relatively minor modification. You never know what innovation this may spawn.

Try to be specific. A statement such as “It was difficult” could for some mean that the air-conditioner had packed up and they had to wind the windows down. “We got horribly stuck” could mean: often, or at one specific place only. Then again, was it really the car, or were you simply driving like Mr Green?

To the (yet) less adventurous softroaders, read these reports, and learn. You are already reading LW – a good start – but the forum above seems a good widening of horizons with contributions which can form your opinion as to what works in practise.

In the defence of trail owners  – they are in a Catch 22 situation: Opening a difficult trail to softroaders, gives them a bad reputation for irresponsible grading, due to the resultant vehicle damage or tricky recovery; applying conservative grading to avoid exactly this, results in them being regarded as dogs-in-the-manger.

However, even though this may seem like a case of fools rushing in, please don’t get me wrong – the sensible amongst us softroaders have no wish to attempt a Grade 4 or 5 route, but vice versa, realistic grading at the other end of the scale would be appreciated. If the low-range requirement is e.g. seasonal, this limitation could be stated and softroaders allowed only during the “easy” season.

Finally, the sooner the much-mooted off-road Driver Competency Certificate comes into effect, the better, as this would reduce the risk for both drivers and trail operators. The former by knowing whether he is taking a fat chance or just a calculated risk, and the latter by knowing that at least these options are considered.

JJJ…

There IS life after a space saver spare wheel

[By Johnie Jonker]

[Published in Leisure Wheels, May 2010]

As is the trend with many current SUVs, my car comes with a space saver spare wheel. Not very useful off the beaten track, but more so the pity for the UK buyer, where the spare wheel is an option and the car comes standard with only a can of Tyreweld.

In addition to the requirement for a full size spare wheel for off-road excursions, being stored inside the car underneath the boot floor is not optimal. Other than taking up valuable packing space, the prospect of having to change a tyre when fully packed for the holiday, necessitating emptying the boot of all luggage in possibly inclement weather, called for an alternative solution requiring some lateral thinking.

Option A:         Stand the spare wheel upright in the boot, after removing the false floor panel.

Objection A:    The image shows that the parcel shelf would not drop back fully, even when deflating the tyre, re-inflating when required. Alternatively, one could leave the parcel shelf at home or make a spare wheel sized cut-out at one end, but this would be akin to “farming”.

Option B:         Do the practical thing and mount the full size spare wheel on two roof bars.

Objection B:    Already being equipped with one artificial lumbar disk implant and not wanting another, the concept of manoeuvring a >20kg spare wheel above my head and onto the roof bars, trying not to drop it through the glass roof, was a rather daunting idea.

Option C:         Tie the spare wheel down onto a Thule EasyBase luggage rack clamped to the hitch.

Objection C:    For off-road use the departure angle is severely restricted by the above units due to the load surface extending far beyond (600 mm) the rear of the vehicle.

Option D:         Some cycle racks are designed to clamp to SUV rear door mounted spare wheels. Surely, an inverse design should be possible where the spare wheel is clamped to a cycle rack?

Objection D:    None, whatsoever.

The cycle rack selected for the purpose turned out to be optimal in a very important aspect – allowing a low mounting position of the spare wheel. This results in it being closely tucked in behind the boot door, maintaining the centre of gravity very close to the attachment point. It makes for a light construction, and reduces the stress on the gooseneck, although the latter advantage may be purely academic considering the low overall mass of the “clip-on” (< 30kg, including the wheel). And there is also no rearward obscuration.

Modifications to the standard rack included: 

• Newly designed clamping feet which allows the rack to hinge back so the boot can be opened – the standard unit did not allow for this.
• The clamping force to the hitch was increased above that of the standard unit in order to compensate for the higher acceleration forces anticipated when going off-road.
• All hinge pins were replaced by stainless steel bolts and locknuts.
• A mounting plate which interfaces the wheel to the rack while still allowing the scissor action to clamp/release it from the hitch, was designed and manufactured.
• A locking mechanism was devised which allows keyless fold-down but prevents removal from the hitch without unlocking.
• An illuminated number plate mounted on a custom light-board was added.
• Lockable nuts attach both the wheel and lightboard to the rack, preventing unauthorised removal.

An early concept image showed that with the space saver spare wheel one bicycle could also be accommodated. This would be the configuration for the non-off-roader travelling in civilised surroundings requiring more boot space.

This gain is substantial – the boot size increased by 130 litres by removing the foam insert and false floor. This is an improvement of 54% above the standard volume (as measured by CAR magazine).

As the attachment is not visible in the rear-view mirror, an extension was added to the left upright which is visible from the driver’s position between the headrests and above the soft luggage on the parcel shelf. This enabled the response of the carrier to bumps and dips to be visually monitored during the testing phase, and nowadays to check whether it still is, well, there.

The device has covered in excess of 6400 km, which makes it compliant with the maximum requirements of the American MIL-STD-810F transport vibration specification for wheeled vehicles (for the technocrats: Method 514.5, Procedure 1, Category 4 – Truck/trailer/tracked – restrained cargo).

In addition to the intended advantages in terms of accessibility of the spare wheel, the fact that a full size unit could now be carried and also the gain in boot space, this exercise had another incidental, but useful, spin-off.

During our annual December coastal trip, the kids continuously bump into friends from back home – they practically live next door but are rarely visited during the year – but now they get invited indiscriminately to accompany us wherever, and with gran in the car, four passengers on the back seat is a bit cramped.

Other than the fun factor – the (junior) boot occupant gets a lot of attention from other road users – it’s actually quite comfortable in the back (David was 1.78m tall at the time of taking the picture), and as the going is never far or fast, passengers don’t get time to start complaining. Then again, it may just be that the alternative is too terrible to contemplate – walking.

And the bonus is, when you get to the beach, at least one person has a chair.

Generally, that would be me, then.

JJJ…